I found his address there a few days ago and wrote to him, Rowanberry. He said he's been very busy in real life, going to job interviews but said he would get it done as soon as possible. I wrote back to ask him if he'd like someone to step in for him, but he hasn't replied to that (yet).

I know people don't like to disappoint, but maybe we should have an understanding that if you can't get your summary and questions up by the end of the first week then someone else should be able to volunteer and step in?

Pips, that would be a good idea; the one whose turn it would be to write the summary just should let the others know as soon as possible if they aren't able to take their turn. And then, unfortunately, there are those who sign up for a chapter and disappear altogether...

If TWT gets his post up soon, we can perhaps take it as the topic for June, and do the next chapter in July. It's probably necessary to update the schedule anyway.

I just received an email from TWT. He has been extremely busy and says:

I'd greatly appreciate it if someone else could do the summary for this chapter. I'm re-reading LOTR right now and as soon as I read the chapter will come up with a set of questions. I hate not living up to my promises and this is really weighing on me. I'm really sorry, I should have written this e-mail a couple weeks ago and saved a lot of time and trouble.

So any takers on doing the summary? Sounds like TWT feels he can come up with the questions, but maybe whoever does the summary should do questions as well, just in case . . .

It being April 27 it makes sense that we push the schedule back a month as rowanberry suggests, or maybe double-up in May and have the second summary posted on the 15th?

For rescheduling the discussion and arranging turns for writing the summaries and questions, I'd like to know how many of you are still around and intending to participate? If you're still in, please post here to let me know.

Roccondil, would you like to do either Many Meetings in June or The Council of Elrond in July? Both were booked by people who haven't been around since last summer, and I very much doubt that they will suddenly return.

Hello everyone, I am so so so so sorry I couldn't participate lately Due to RL-hell I had to give up several things I was doing and unfortunately VTSG was one of them. However, this does not mean that I give it up completely - after all I've been here for quite a long time In some two weeks my RL should slow down. In September I'm probably leaving to China for a year and I don't think I will have much free time over there, so I want to do loads of Tolkien things before I leave - I promise to be here in the summer and participate in the discussions (can't promise about writing summaries, though, but if necessary, I can write one).

Hi everyone, revised ETA for the summary this month. I will have it up tomorrow. My summary is too long, so I have to summarize it! I'll also try to do some questions, but I rather suck at them, so please, someone else come up with something, too. I doubt TWT will be contributing.

I wonder if maybe one of the reasons we have such a hard time keeping this going (aside from just getting busy IRL) is that we only do a chapter a month? It might be a little "slow" and thus the conversation runs out.

I have been out of touch for maybe a month due to my life turning upside down in many ways - though I've occasionally scanned the topic headings just to see what people were talking about - had no time to read a thread, though, much less respond.

I am going to catch up reading posts on last chapter.

I wish I could take a chapter on but simply can't. Maybe by Christmas or so things may settle a bit - it's a long book, I am sure I will be able to contribute at some point.

Starshadow, I love that pic of Eomer and the quote from the Riders of Rohan arriving at Minis Tirith - I remember that it gave me chills when I first read it. "Rohan had come at last." (from memory - hope it's accurate!) (on edit - duh! i just read it in your quote - I am still distracted!)

Starshadow, I think that being busy in RL is the most important reason for the slowness of the discussion. We could of course always try two chapters a month, but that depends on if the participants will be able to do that.

Gwynhvar, in roleplays, "OOC" means "out of character", a thread where the participants can discuss things without messing up the actual story; here, it might mean "out of context" or "out of conversation" or something like that. (Maybe "a word aside" would be a better description.)

As for being busy in RL, I probably won't get the June summary up until after the upcoming down time next weekend.

Hello all - I've been away for.... a year? Oh my. Apologies... I plan to be stopping by more frequently again. Guild Wars usurped my time of the last several months, but it has lost some of its initial charm.

EDIT: I am almost finished catching up on reading the posted summaries of the first book, FOTR. I will try to refrain from posting in interest of time - so I can catch up. It was a bit of a rip for me to abandon the Hobbit summaries, but since the final summary has been written, I decided it was time for me to move on already!